Copyright Law

Copyright law is unique in the greater intellectual property regime, as it protects original expression that is fixed in a tangible medium and is the product of authorship. This course is designed for creative professionals — such as screenwriters, musicians, documentary filmmakers or artists — who want to understand the scope and limits of which works can enjoy U.S. copyright protection. The course will introduce students to the workings of copyright law through an examination of the system’s basic principles, rules, and institutions. Topics will include; the justifications for copyright law, copyrightable subject matter, authorship, the nature and scope of copyright’s exclusive rights, fair use, and remedies for infringement. We will also explore real-world examples of legal battles surrounding copyright law, from the recent litigation over Robin Thicke’s hit song “Blurred Lines” to more peculiar cases such as the infamous “monkey selfie” case. By understanding what copyright does and does not protect, producers of creative expression will be able to protect and maximize the commercial value of their works.

Status: Creativity

Status: Law, Regulation, and Compliance

Course13 hours

Featured reviews

5.0Reviewed Jul 6, 2024

Crash Course on Copyright Law. This helps non legal professionals to under copyright law

5.0Reviewed Dec 7, 2021

Absolutely loved the course, it solved many of the queries that i had regarding copyrights and to whom they are available and under what circumstances.

5.0Reviewed Apr 25, 2020

Extremely informative, interesting and very well taught!

5.0Reviewed Oct 25, 2020

Amazing job! Thank you for the course. I enjoyed it.

5.0Reviewed Jul 28, 2020

Extremely informative! The instructor was great! Don't miss this out if you're into intellectual property law, especially studying the intricacies of copyright.

5.0Reviewed Jun 12, 2019

An excellent course, to understand the ever increasing scope and ambit of intellectual property rights and its discourse in Society!

5.0Reviewed Apr 9, 2020

It’s an excellent course that has a lot of knowledge to impact on students

4.0Reviewed Jun 17, 2020

Excellent in explanation helpful in learning about copyright, enjoyed the structural organization of contennt!

5.0Reviewed Dec 18, 2023

Very informative lectures on Copyright Law with clarity!

5.0Reviewed Jun 20, 2020

Lots of insights. Professor laid out the materials clearly and effectively.

5.0Reviewed Mar 31, 2024

I'm an university student. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the lecturer, University and Coursera. This course is amazing.

5.0Reviewed Feb 16, 2020

Really great! I learned a lot. Though the time to peer review remains an issue. It is a good course.

All reviews

Showing: 20 of 65

Samuel Lum

4.0

Reviewed Sep 6, 2019

Good comprehensive overview of US copyright laws. I think after completing this course, the project at the end made me think critically and select rights on a case-by-case nature. However, I felt like the course could use a better summary in terms of practical methods, it still felt ambiguous and open ended. (Copyright law is still quite flexible, but the instructor appears to be holding back with an air of complexity that isn't clearly demonstrated in the slides and doesn't assure the learner of next steps.)

Apurv Singh

5.0

Reviewed May 12, 2020

I found this course to be extremely well-structured and quite helpful in learning the basics of Copyright Law. Right in the beginning, I was informed that I cannot rely on this course as a substitute for what is taught as part of copyright as a subject in law school and think the course does exactly what it set out to do, which is basically to impart knowledge of the FUNDAMENTALS of the subject for laymen and legal professionals alike. Keeping that in mind, this course will clear up any misunderstandings you may have about the subject, regardless of whether you have a legal background or not.

Ajeeth Adhikari

5.0

Reviewed Jan 19, 2020

Great course, great examination of student's knowledge. Highly recommend to others seeking an introduction to copyright law!

Kaushik Das

5.0

Reviewed Jun 13, 2019

An excellent course, to understand the ever increasing scope and ambit of intellectual property rights and its discourse in Society!

Gabriele Grasso

4.0

Reviewed Jun 14, 2019

I would have liked more application cases

CHRISTOPHER ELDEN HILOTIN

5.0

Reviewed Jul 20, 2019

This is a great course! It opened my mind and gave me clear understanding on the complexities of Copyright Law. Very informative, the lecturer gave his crisp discussions on the matter. it is easily understandable and simple. Thank you Sir!

Ger Hatton

5.0

Reviewed Apr 14, 2020

really well put together and a great refresher on US copyright law. It was a joy to follow the readings, the videos (very clear and succinct Professor) and the study helped occupy time during this pandemic period.

Nathalia Andrea Marin Hernandez

5.0

Reviewed Apr 22, 2020

The explanations of the themes in the course are easy to understand and the activities gave the opportunity to put on practices everything that we learn in the course.

Joel A. Cilento-Ross

5.0

Reviewed Feb 17, 2020

Really great! I learned a lot. Though the time to peer review remains an issue. It is a good course.

Isha Schez

5.0

Reviewed Jan 10, 2021

Great course and amazing teacher! Very clear and interesting content. Totally recommend!

Tife J

5.0

Reviewed Apr 10, 2020

It’s an excellent course that has a lot of knowledge to impact on students

Feng Xu

5.0

Reviewed Apr 15, 2020

Excellent course. Fantastic Delivery. I highly recommend this course.

JOSE EDUARDO CARRERA PEREZ

5.0

Reviewed Dec 7, 2019

Excellent material, well-explained, I highly recommend it

Emma Valiere

5.0

Reviewed Oct 19, 2019

Un cours très intéressant et instructif !

Tammy Darmel Moore

5.0

Reviewed Aug 7, 2019

I learned a great deal!

Akshay Sampat Shinde

5.0

Reviewed Oct 15, 2019

thank you

Muxtar Kazımov

5.0

Reviewed Oct 7, 2019

Perfect

MURTAZA MOHIQI

5.0

Reviewed Sep 17, 2019

Great

Gohar Nawaz

3.0

Reviewed Mar 25, 2024

Link available on certificate do not authenticate it

Michael Joyce

5.0

Reviewed May 24, 2020

This is a really excellent course. A great overview of copyright law, with lots packed into the 4 lectures. Lots of good material including links to online articles and you can learn at your own pace. If you are looking for a good bird's eye view of US copyright law, just should definitely take this course.